While some of the core fundamentals are strong, and even though Affleck dominates the dramatic paint as if he were Bill Walton grabbing another rebound, The Way Back emotionally double-dribbles far too often before ultimately clanking the last shot off the front of the iron just as time expires.

It’s all a bunch of colorfully anarchic, emotionally uplifting heartfelt supernatural silliness, all of which helps make Pixar’s latest comedic adventure Onward a goofy good time I’d be excited to see again.

“Sometimes it was overwhelming in all the best of ways. There was just so much possibility. When you’re just in the zone and in there with your camera, you have to take the opportunity to trust your eye as a filmmaker.”
– Olympic Dreams director Jeremy Teicher